Increased terror risk in Sweden, bag ban and extensive protests against Israel's participation framed what was supposed to be a glittering Eurovision festival. Malmö, which otherwise usually receives positive responses from visitors for its welcoming and joyful atmosphere, did not quite reach as far in the measurements this time.
On October 7 last year - when Hamas attacked Israel - it changed the entire scenario for Eurovision, says project leader Karin Karlsson, who notes that the security effort around the arrangement was Sweden's largest police operation ever.
But given the conditions the outside world gave us, we are satisfied, says Johan Hermansson, head of Malmö's recreation administration.
In total, Malmö received 41,000 unique visitors from outside and 14,000 local visitors from the Malmö region. Among the foreign visitors, the British were the largest group, followed by Germans, Danes, and Dutch.
Almost as many overnight tourists stayed in Copenhagen as in Malmö, and therefore, 64 million kronor of the revenue ended up in the Danish capital.
Malmö municipality invested 30 million kronor in the event, plus an additional 12.8 million for security. Exactly how much the investment has paid back depends on how you count, notes Johan Hermansson.
The big win is the one generated afterwards, he says, referring to what he sees as Malmö's strengthened position as an event city.
